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I had another fantastic shoot this week. We spent an hour or two trying different looks with some different props I recently found at an antiques fair. I love antiques fairs by the way. Its a bit of a treasure hunt. You never know what you're going to find and each prop gives something different to my portraits. And with each prop is a little inspiration.

This session was with an existing client so I took the time to do a little experimentation. I have an old backdrop that I kept meaning to use although never found a way to use it effectively. But the antique props got me thinking that maybe this traditional backdrop would be the perfect match. If this didn't work it was being put away for the foreseeable future.

In this session I used both natural light and studio light. Our studio has some lovely light coming in through our tri-fold doors. I always get great results using this light which works very well for young children.

About 6 years ago I decided to pursue a career as a portrait photographer. And one of the avenues I took involved school photography. I did so because I saw a need for a change. We have been accepting school photos as they have been for as long as I could remember. My children's photos were looking no different from mine, which were taken nearly 30 years prior. It just didn't feel right, nor did I have any desire to put them on display. They were merely a record of a child's development and growth.

So I set out to change that. At the time a rather large, nationwide chain of studios was doing well with the ever popular white background photography. I couldn't help but think how well that would work with school portraits.

To me the photo still needs to remain a record of a child's growth and development but it should also have an element of fun and freedom. The white background leaves the image free from distractions, and the space in my compositions gives the chi…

This year we've decided to launch a schedule of 5 training events. Our training is designed as an introduction to lighting and workflow or a confidence builder for those who feel they've lost their way or never really got it straight in the first place.

The day is split in two with the first half looking at lighting. We cover high key, mid key and low key set ups explaining each light required in detail with time allowed for each attendee to have a play with the studio lights themselves.

After lunch we then look at workflow. We take your through importing and sorting images in Lightroom, making adjustments and enhancements in Lightroom followed by exporting to Photoshop. We then take a closer look at the imges in Photoshop, going over the ways in which we treat all our images. This includes the use of Kubota Actions.

These workshops are running on the following dates:

Wednesday February 16th Tuesday March 8th Wednesday April 13th Wednesday May 18th Wednesday June 15th
If th…

About Me

My name is Christina Lauder and I am a photographer and portrait artist. Originally from Toronto, Canada I now reside in Burbage, Hinckley with my husband, 2 step children and daughter. It was after having my daughter that I realised I could not return to a job for which I had little interest as the thought of leaving her was just too awful. Photography on the other hand gave me a career I could love while at the same time giving me the flexibility I need to look after my children. It was the best thing I could have done.